1899 Columbia Blue and White football
ConferenceIndependent
Record9–3
Head coach
CaptainRobert R. Wilson
Home stadiumManhattan Field
Seasons
← 1891
1900 →
1899 Eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Harvard   –   10 – 0 – 1
Lafayette   –   12 – 1 – 0
Princeton   –   12 – 1 – 0
Buffalo   –   7 – 1 – 0
Boston College   –   8 – 1 – 1
Carlisle   –   9 – 2 – 0
Swarthmore   –   8 – 1 – 2
Washington & Jefferson   –   9 – 2 – 1
Wesleyan   –   7 – 2 – 0
Pittsburgh College   –   2 – 0 – 2
Villanova   –   7 – 2 – 1
Yale   –   7 – 2 – 1
Western Univ. of Penn.   –   3 – 1 – 1
Columbia   –   9 – 3 – 0
Fordham   –   3 – 1 – 0
Cornell   –   7 – 3 – 0
Penn   –   8 – 3 – 2
Brown   –   7 – 3 – 1
New Hampshire   –   4 – 2 – 0
Vermont   –   5 – 3 – 0
Tufts   –   7 – 4 – 0
Bucknell   –   6 – 4 – 0
Holy Cross   –   5 – 5 – 0
Syracuse   –   4 – 4 – 0
Drexel   –   3 – 3 – 0
Army   –   4 – 5 – 0
Colgate   –   4 – 5 – 0
Penn State   –   4 – 6 – 1
Frankin & Marshall   –   3 – 5 – 1
NYU   –   2 – 6 – 0
Temple   –   1 – 4 – 1
Dartmouth   –   2 – 7 – 0
Lehigh   –   2 – 9 – 0
Rutgers   –   2 – 9 – 0
Geneva   –   0 – 3 – 0

The 1899 Columbia Blue and White football team was an American football team that represented Columbia University as an independent during the 1899 college football season. In its first season under head coach George Sanford, the team compiled a 9–3 record and outscored opponents by a total of 224 to 91, including eight shutouts.[1][2] The 1899 season marked Columbia's return to the sport after not participating in intercollegiate football from 1892 to 1898.[2] Robert R. Wilson was the 1899 team captain.[2]

On October 28, 1899, Columbia defeated Yale, 5–0. The result was described by The New York Times as "one of the most disastrous defeats Yale has ever experienced in her athletic history."[3] Columbia's freshman back Harold Weekes scored the game's only points on a long touchdown run in the middle of the second half.[3]

Three Columbia received honors on the 1899 All-America team: center Jack Wright (Walter Camp second team; New York Sun first team);[4][5] Weekes (Walter Camp second team);[4] and back Bill Morley (Outing Magazine second team).[6]

Columbia's sports teams were commonly called the "Blue and White" in this era, but had no official nickname. The name "Lions" would not be adopted until 1910.[7]

The team played its home games at Manhattan Field, also known as Polo Grounds II, in Upper Manhattan in New York City.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 23at WaltonMargaretville, NYW 30–6[8]
October 3at Rutgers
W 26–0[9]
October 7at Union (NY)
W 21–0600[10]
October 142:45 p.m.Princeton
L 0–11[11]
October 18NYU
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
W 40–0
October 21Amherst
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
W 18–0500[12]
October 28Yale
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
W 5–05,000[3]
November 1at Stevens
W 46–0
November 7Cornell
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY (rivalry)
L 0–29
November 11at Army
W 16–0
November 18Dartmouth
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
W 22–01,000–1,500[13][14]
November 30Carlisle
  • Manhattan Field
  • New York, NY
L 0–45

References

  1. ^ "1899 Columbia Lions Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Columbia Football 2018 Record Book" (PDF). Columbia University. 2018. p. 197 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Columbia Beats Yale at Football". The New York Times. October 29, 1899. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Sport of the Amateur on Field and Water". Collier's Weekly. 24 (15): 20. January 13, 1900 – via Google books. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Other All-America Football Teams". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 11, 1899.
  6. ^ "Football" (PDF). The Outing Magazine. January 1900.
  7. ^ "How Columbia Became the Lions". Columbia Football 2019 Record Book. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University. p. 238. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "Columbia Plays Her First Game and Wins From Walton, 30 to 6". The Sun. September 24, 1899. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Columbia's First Game". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 4, 1899. p. 13. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  10. ^ "Columbia, 21; Union, 0". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 8, 1899. p. 40. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  11. ^ "Princeton 11, Columbia 0". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. October 15, 1899. p. 19. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ^ "Columbia, 18; Amherst, 0". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. October 22, 1899. p. 8. Retrieved April 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. ^ "Columbia Wins, 22 To 0". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 19, 1899. p. 9. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ^ "Columbia 22, Dartmouth 0". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 19, 1899. p. 23. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
Categories